


Felicity Want To Play A Game

by Chameleononplaid



Series: What If Series [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 07:19:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8153687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chameleononplaid/pseuds/Chameleononplaid
Summary: What If? Oliver asks that very question to Felicity one night after he gets her to come back into his life after their split. What if he never had gotten on the Queen's Gambit and instead needed a tutor and fast? He tells her the story of what he thinks would have happened. This is the 1st installment of a group of long one-shots that showcase the question of what if Oliver and Felicity had met in other ways.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! It has been so long since I managed to get my writing typed up. I have been writing quite a bit but I edit when I type into Word. Ipso Facto, I haven’t felt like editing my writing. And on top of that without a beta I don’t have someone pushing me to actually get my work in on time. 
> 
> This piece is a very long one-shot. It will be part of a series of one-shots that all have the theme of What-If. As in, what if Oliver and Felicity met in different ways. These all lead in by someone telling either Oliver or Felicity a story about what they thought could have happened for the two of them to meet. And even though they can all be read alone, they kind of go in order. This is part one.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters to the show Arrow and all mistakes are my own.

**_Felicity_ , _Want_ _To_ _Play_ _A_ _Game_?**

            Oliver looked up from where he rested on Felicity’s lap as she stroked his hair. “Have you ever wondered where we’d all be if things had been different?”

            Felicity glanced down at him, her forehead crinkled. “Different? Different how?”

            Oliver pushed himself up from his position and settled himself next to her on the bed, encircling her under his arm. “What if I never boarded the Queen’s Gambit with my father? Would I have still met you? Because I almost think that every day I went through, every bit of pain I suffered, every life I destroyed, was so I could become who I was when I met you. So you could make me better.”

            “Oliver, I…”

            “Shh. Just think about it. If I was still that careless kid that I remember, the frat boy who was constantly thrown out of college for having more interest in partying than studying, you wouldn’t have even looked twice at me.”

            Felicity turned in his arms so she could face him. “I would have noticed you. I think you would have been kind of hard to miss. Weren’t you all over the news?”

            “Here.” Oliver grimaced and ran a hand over his short hair. “Okay, and at college. Not that I went anywhere near MIT.”

            “I have to admit, I had heard of you before I stepped foot in Starling City. Though, I didn’t much pay attention to the society sections.”

            With a laugh, Oliver turned to give her a quick kiss. “I can’t picture that gothic girl you showed me with a People magazine in her hands. But, if you did notice, I know you would have thought I was cute.”

            Felicity reached behind her and grabbed a pillow and swatted him. “How would you know that?”

            “I heard you say that to one of my photos when you didn’t know I was there.”

            “No, I didn’t… Wait.” Felicity settled the pillow back behind her. Her face caught in thought. “I… You were… But you weren’t.” Her blue eyes clashed with his. “When you saw Thea. When you came back to Starling City while everyone thought you were dead. You heard me say that in Moira’s office, right before Walter took the position officially as CEO.” Felicity covered her face, her cheeks turning pink. “I can’t believe you were there and heard me.”

            “I did. If it’s any consolation, I thought you were cute too.”

            Opening her hands, Felicity mock growled at him. “Yeah, in a ‘ _oh_ , _look_ _at_ _that_ _cute_ _crazy_ _girl_ _who_ _talks_ _to_ _herself_ ’ kind of way. And it’s you who wouldn’t have taken a second glance in my direction if you didn’t need help as the Arrow. I doubt before that day you even knew Queen Consolidated even had an IT Department.”

            “I might have found my way down there,” he told her as his hand that had been stroking a bare patch of skin at her hip rose to cup her breast. “Probably for no other reason than to check out the hot blonde.” Her snort barely even stopped him. “I might have used the excuse that I needed a tutor.”

            “Tutor, huh?” Felicity turned and caressed his chest. Her leg slid over one of his. “We already know you have an obvious lack of any knowledge of Shakespeare.”

            “You could have taught me all about Romeo and Juliet and McAdams.”

            “It’s Macbeth.” Felicity laughed. “And I’m sure that I would have dismissed your interest as a frivolous attempt to try to flirt with me. Especially, as everyone would have known you could have turned to Laurel for help.”

            “No.” Oliver shook his head and pulled Felicity in tighter. If he didn’t stop her leg soon, he wouldn’t be able to tell her how he had it all pictured in his head. His mind would be distracted by other matters entirely. “She would have been too busy trying to get her law degree and would have encouraged me to get help elsewhere.”

            “I thought Laurel was smarter than that,” Felicity told him as she traced a finger over an old scar, eliciting a shiver of desire from him. “I think she would have made time for you just to keep you out of the bedrooms of unsuspecting women who would fall for your charm.”

            “She might have tried and failed on that account way too many times. But this is my story.”

            Felicity held up her hands. “Sorry. Go ahead.”

            Oliver twisted a piece of Felicity’s blonde hair around his finger and tugged it so her face was close to his. He took advantage of her nearness to steal another deep kiss. “I need to stop or I’ll never tell you about this.” He groaned and sat up straighter. “No more. I want to tell you how I could have pictured it…”

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “Oliver, this can’t keep happening,” Moira scolded him. “I understand that we’ve lost your father but you’ve been in trouble even before he left.” Moira drank heavily from the glass of wine in front of her. “I can’t handle you being dropped out of another college.”

            “I’m sorry, Mom.”

            She held up her hand. “No. I don’t want to hear another excuse, Oliver. I need you to fix this mess. I’ve already had enough to deal with. You need to find a way to pull up your grades or I will have no other choice but to withhold the money from your trust fund.”

            “Mom,” Oliver whined.

            “No.” His mother held firm, which was so unlike her, but then a lot had changed since the Queen’s Gambit had sunk off the China Coast. “Fix it, Oliver. You need to start stepping up. Your father is gone. Queen Consolidated needs both of us.” She set down her wine on the table and reached across to grasp his hands. “Please, Oliver.”

            “How am I supposed to do that?”

            “Find a way.” She let go of his hands and glanced down at her gold watch. “I have a meeting with the board of directors in an hour. I have to go. I’m surprised the car isn’t here already.”

            Oliver watched his mom leave the room. He rested his head on the back of the couch and sighed.

            “Oliver?”

            Glancing up, Oliver noticed his sister. “What’s up Speedy?”

            His sister came over and plopped down next to him, unmindful of the short tartan skirt she wore for school. “Mom looked upset.”

            “I messed up. Again. I’m about to get thrown out of college.”

            “Again,” Thea mimicked his tone.

            Oliver smiled down at this little sister as he sat up straight. But the thought of how much trouble he was in made him scrub his hands over his face. “Mom said I needed to fix it. She refuses to bail me out. And I have no idea how to go about it.” Thea was about to say something but Oliver interrupted her before she did. “And before you suggest Laurel, remember I barely see her because she is studying constantly. Especially now that she has is on her waiting game as to which law school is going to accept her.”

            “Sounds like you need a tutor.”

            Oliver chuckled in disbelief. “Great. All I need is some nerd following me around trying to teach me things that I will never need again in my life.” Oliver winced. “Crap. Tommy is so going to make fun of my ass.”

            “You think I enjoy school?” Thea leveled a look at him that told him that it couldn’t be further from the truth. “With Dad gone, the only place that doesn’t suck anymore is those familiar hallways. I have friends there. Friends who don’t care if I fall apart sometimes.”

            “I have Tommy and Laurel for moral support, Speedy. I’m fine.”

            “Are you?” Thea glared at him. “Tommy is just like you. The harder you party the happier you are. And Laurel? All she cares about is getting into law school and seeing that you put a ring on her finger. Are you even ready for that? Because she has been pretty lenient since Dad died but I don’t think that it is going to last much longer.”

            “I’m not,” Oliver admitted with a defeated sigh. He knew what Laurel wanted. It was what almost had him getting on the Queen’s Gambit with his father. Hell, he had even invited Sara, Laurel’s sister, along for the ride. If Sara hadn’t turned him down at the last second, he could have very well shared his father’s fate. But was drowning any worse than being engaged to Laurel? He loved Laurel, he really did, but Oliver was not ready to take that step. Not yet anyway.

            “I didn’t think so.” Thea shifted pulling her feet under her after she kicked off her shoes. “I saw you sneak in with Sara last night. I made sure Mom missed her grabbing a cup of coffee this morning on her way out.”

            “Thanks, Speedy. I’m not sure how mom would have reacted to that. Not after I assured her that Sara and I were searching for something in the library during the Christmas party after she walked in on us making out on the couch.”

            Thea gave Oliver a condescending look, which would have looked strange on most fourteen year olds, but she had it perfected from the many looks their mother gave to them. “Laurel, and mom, are going to find out eventually, Ollie.”

            “I know.”

            Thea patted his knee. “You are on a serious self-destruct mission. I’d hate to be you right now.”

            “I need to do what mom said. I need to find a way to fix this. You know any good tutors?”

            “Why don’t you ask Walter?” Thea suggested.

            Oliver cast his sister a confused look. “Mr. Steele? Dad’s CFO?”

            “Mom’s now.”

            Shaking his head, Oliver asked, “How can he help?”

            “You are apparently blind as well as stupid. I swear, Ollie, if it doesn’t have boobs or booze, you couldn’t care less. I’m pretty sure mom and Walter are seeing each other.”

            Oliver leapt off the couch and turned to face his sister. “You can’t be serious?” He glared at her but sat back down after Thea nodded. “Mom and Walter? Really? Dad passed away about a year and a half ago.”

            “Almost two years, Ollie. You crawled under that rock deeper than I ever could have imagined.” Thea pushed herself off the couch and picked up her shoes. “Just ask Walter. Okay?”

            With that thought prevalent in his mind, Oliver found himself knocking on Walter Steele’s office door the next day. His dad and Walter had been friends for several years. But now, Oliver had to deal with the fact that Walter might have some interest, romantically, in his mother. And, frankly, it was freaking him out.

            “Oliver,” Walter called out to him as he entered. “What has you visiting my office?” Walter stood up from his desk and came around to shake Oliver’s hand. “I hope everything is alright with your family.”

            “Yes. Everyone’s fine. I was hoping to ask you for some help. It’s personal.”

            “Of course.” Walter nodded toward a seat and resumed his own behind his desk. “Does this have anything to do with your grades? Your mother mentioned that you have had some troubles with your coursework.”

            “So, you and my mother…” Oliver’s eyes questioned Walter’s.

            “Is between your mother and me, at the moment. But that, as you stated, isn’t why you’ve come to see me, is it?”

            “No. It’s not.”

            “Very well. I have an idea, if you are still willing to take my advice.” Walter folded his hands in front of him and gave Oliver a speculating glance.

            Oliver contemplated Walter’s words for a moment. He was here asking for help but was he really ready to get that help? To commit. If he didn’t accept it his future looked questionable, well more questionable than it already was. “Yes. I think I am.”

            “Good.” Walter called someone on his phone. “I have someone that should be able to help you, Oliver. If you give him a minute, he should be here shortly.”

            Several minutes later, a knock sounded on Walter’s office door. A blonde head popped in when Walter indicated she should come in through the semi-glass door.

            “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back,” she told them as she entered. “Your secretary wasn’t outside and I didn’t know you already were in a meeting.”

            “Actually,” Walter stated as he waved her forward. “You might actually be the better choice than what I originally thought. Come sit down.” Walter picked up the phone again and dialed a number. “Jason, I don’t think, I’ll require you anymore, but thank you.”

            While he spoke, Oliver studied the newcomer. The young woman was dressed in a short cardigan over a starched pink shirt and short black pencil skirt. She was pretty much the embodiment of what Tommy would have called a sexy nerd. Oliver watched as she clutched a file folder close to her chest as she did as Walter bid. She sat down and handed Walter the folder after he hung up the phone. “Mr. Andrews asked me to bring you the quarterly reports after the glitch in the system was fixed. I finished rebooting the system and wanted to make sure you had them before I went to lunch.”

            “Thank you, Miss Smoak.” Walter smiled warmly at her. “May I introduce you to Oliver Queen? Oliver, this is Felicity Smoak, a recent addition to our IT Department. Felicity, Oliver.”

            The blonde smiled over at him and pushed up her black and red glasses before holding out a hand. “Hi, Mr. Queen.”

            “No.” Oliver shook his head even as he took her hand. “Mr. Queen was my father.”

            “Right. But he’s dead. I mean he drowned.” Felicity hung her head. “Sorry, I’m babbling which will end in 3…2…1.”

            Oliver’s eyes shot over to Walter who did a good impression of trying to hold back a smile. A smile that Oliver could not keep back. “It’s nice to meet you, Felicity.”

            “Mr. Steele,” Felicity turned back to Walter, “if you could make sure to tell Mr. Andrews that I delivered the papers.” She started to stand. “If we are finished, I’m going to head out for lunch.”

            “Please, wait.” Walter waved her back to her seat. “I have a question. What do you know about Shakespeare?”

            Confusion lined her expression. “I know some. I wasn’t an English major, Mr. Steele.”

            “But you know enough to get past a general Shakespeare exam?”

            Felicity shrugged. “I guess so.”

            “Good. Oliver will be joining you for lunch.”

            “He will?” Felicity’s voice squeaked out her question. “I mean not that he couldn’t… I just don’t know what that has to do with Shakespeare.”

            Walter stood and held a hand out to Oliver indicating he should go with Felicity. “I’m sure Oliver will be happy to explain that on your way out.”

            Oliver rose and nodded to the older man as the realization dawned on him. Walter wanted Oliver to ask Felicity to tutor him. “Of course. We can go to Le Cheve.”

            “Don’t you need reservations months ahead to even get in?” Felicity questioned him as she stood there still staring at Walter with a confused expression.

            Oliver drew her gaze to him and cocked his head. He smiled. She really had no idea who he was, did she?

            “Right. You’re Oliver Queen.”

            Okay. So, she did. Oliver turned back to Walter and shook his hand before the older man returned to his seat. “Thank you, Walter.”

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Felicity walked next to Oliver Queen and wondered how this whole lunch date even came to pass. “I would have been happy enough eating at Big Belly Burger. I only have thirty minutes for lunch and I’m not sure Le Cheve is geared for such a quick lunch.”

            “What’s Big Belly Burger?”

            “Seriously?”

            Oliver laughed and placed his hand on the small of her back. “Sorry, I never had it. I don’t usually eat fast food.”

            Felicity gave him a once over. “You wouldn’t.”

            “What was that?” He stopped walking and turned to face her.

            “Why would you need to eat fast food? Look at you. You’ve probably never eaten anything that wasn’t prepared by anyone less than a one star chef. And that was probably while you slummed it.”

            Felicity straightened her back and crossed her arms across her chest. She refused to back down to this frat boy, billionaire’s son. This guy was part of the reason she first began her hacktivism at MIT. Hacktivism that led to Cooper dying. Hacktivism that made her change her whole look and come to Starling City to escape her past.

            “You, apparently, have a very low opinion of me, Felicity.”

            She studied the man in front of her. His perfectly coifed blonde hair parted to the side. His perfectly pressed dress shirt tucked inside perfectly creased jeans. Her jeans never looked like that even after she purchased them from the store. _Was_ _there_ _even_ _a_ _store_ _that_ _creased_ _jeans_? She probably would never be able to afford it even if there was.

            Felicity’s orbit wasn’t even supposed to be in the same galaxy as Oliver Queen’s and yet here the two of them were. The daughter of a cocktail waitress from Las Vegas shouldn’t even be talking to Oliver. At least not on a personal level. She really should apologize but she wouldn’t. “I only have fifteen more minutes before I need to start heading back to the office, so can you tell me what Walter was talking about?”

            The look Oliver gave her made her feel as if she really was from another planet. Maybe the alternate universe of Earth that Doctor Who had found. “How are you supposed to eat in that amount of time?”

            Felicity shrugged. “That’s our lunch allowance when we start. Thirty minutes. That’s why a lot of new employees and interns eat in the cafeteria or bring their own lunches.”

            “You didn’t bring your lunch, so where were you planning to eat?”

            “As I was saying, the cafeteria at Queen Consolidated is where most of us eat. Even the ones who have an hour. Not that I expect you to eat there, but I’ve seen Mr. Steele down there a few times.”

            Oliver reached out and touched her arm. “Why didn’t you say something while we were there? I’m that much of a food snob.”

            “But then people would have seen you. Us. They all would have come over to talk to you and wondered why you were sitting with me.”

            He turned them around so they could head back to the QC building. “Let them wonder. I need your help, Felicity. I’m not worried about gossip.”

            “But my co-workers,” Felicity sputtered. “They’ll ask me why I was with you. And I thought that maybe you wouldn’t want people to know. I mean, it’s bad enough I won’t be able to get anything else done today after everyone stops down at the IT Department to question me about you.”

            He held open the door to the building so that Felicity could enter before him. “I doubt that. It’s not that big of a deal.”

            Felicity saw him wink at her and she noticed so did several of the other people that were in the lobby. “Great. Now people will think I’m another conquest of Oliver Queen’s.”

            “Is that so bad?” He teased.

            Felicity hung her head. She had actually said that out loud. _Frack_! “Yes.”

            He reached out and turned her to face him, right in the middle of reception area of QC. “Felicity, if you don’t want to do this because of who I am, you don’t have to.”

            “I don’t even know what I’m agreeing to yet. You haven’t told me.” She stared up into Oliver’s blue eyes and almost forgot everything she was about to say. Shaking her head, she brought herself back to the present. “Fine. But can we not do this here? There will be too many questions and I work here. People will talk.” She waved a hand. “They are already talking.”

            “Fine. But where?”

            “Tonight. Around seven?”

            Oliver smiled slightly and nodded. “We can meet out front and go to Big Belly Burger. I’ve heard great things about it just a short time ago. My treat.”

            “How about we meet there? I can email you the directions.”

            Oliver nodded. “Let me give you my email.” He began to tell her, but Felicity stopped him.

            “Oliver, I work in the IT Department. I can get it.” And even if she didn’t, she’d still be able to get it, but he didn’t need to know that.

            “Miss Smoak?”

            Felicity and Oliver both turned to the newcomer. Mr. Andrews stood just a few feet from where she and Oliver stood. And her boss’s eyes seemed to question why Felicity was talking to the owner’s son.

            “Mr. Andrews,” Felicity said not only to address her boss but to let Oliver know who he was.

            “Is everything okay, Miss Smoak?” He gave Oliver a questioning look which Felicity knew that he wasn’t really asking her. “Is Miss Smoak, here, bothering you, sir?”

            Oliver’s mouth thinned. “Actually, it’s me who’s bothering her. Mr. Andrews, is it?”

            “Yes.” Felicity watched her boss preen under Oliver’s gaze.

            “Felicity will need to leave early for the next couple of weeks, with pay. She’s helping me with a very important project.”

            She watched as her boss grew tense at Oliver’s words. He didn’t seem to like the not so obvious command. Oliver, on the other hand, appeared at his most intimidating. She had never seen him like this, even in the tabloids when he was running off the paparazzi.

            “If you have a problem with this, Mr. Andrews,” Oliver told the stout man, “I will surely address the issue with my mother and Mr. Steele, both of whom, has made sure that this project has the utmost priority.”

            “No. Of course, sir. I’m sure Mrs. Queen and Mr. Steele have QC’s best interest at heart. I will personally sign off on the leave and pay for Miss Smoak while she assists you.” Mr. Andrews held out his hand and shook Oliver’s before nodding to Felicity. She watched as he took off for the front doors of the building, which was strange as he usually lorded it up in the cafeteria during his hour long lunch.

            Felicity turned to Oliver and smiled. “You enjoyed that.”

            Oliver shrugged. “Being Robert Queen’s son has to come in handy every once in a while.”

            With a glance in the direction of the large clock over the reception area, Felicity groaned. “Well, it looks like lunch is over.”

            “I’m sorry.” He looked genuine in his apology. “I can bring you something to your office if you like. Or have it ordered and delivered. My treat. I was the cause of you missing lunch after all.”

            “No, it’s fine.” Felicity sighed but smiled to let him know she was serious. “If I’m having Big Belly Burger for dinner maybe it is for the best that I missed lunch. That way I don’t have to worry about hitting the gym later.”

            “I can’t have you wasting away. I haven’t even asked you to tutor me yet. I’ll send up a turkey sandwich.”

            “Thank you, I appreciate it. I do need to run though. I’ll see you later?”

            He nodded and Felicity took off for the elevators. She was a minute late back to her office but with Mr. Andrews at lunch, no one else took notice. And Oliver was true to his word and had a turkey sandwich delivered to her desk. The delivery driver even offered up several drink beverages for her to choose from which she knew for a fact was not their norm. It was sweet and thoughtful of him and something she never expected from a playboy like Oliver Queen.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Oliver never questioned why he was being so nice to Felicity Smoak when he normally didn’t pull out all the stops with anyone else who had been assigned to tutor him in the past. With his previous tutors he found ways to avoid them altogether. However, the whole week he spent with Felicity, he had lunches delivered by caterer, either to her office or the cafeteria, and he took them to wherever she wanted for dinner. They spent from three in the afternoon until eight at night together and for once Oliver found he didn’t mind learning about subjects he found unappealing.

            However, by Saturday evening, he was missing his blonde tutor. Oliver had given her the weekend off. It was only fair as she wasn’t being paid for spending that time with him. And why that should bother him he wasn’t sure. All of his other tutors had been paid and yet, knowing that Felicity was spending time with him only because she was paid, hurt him. His mom was ecstatic on the other hand.

            “I heard from your professor today, Oliver,” Moira said as she handed him a glass of champagne. “He said he noticed a marked difference in your studies.”

            “More like he noticed that I now show up for class,” Oliver muttered before taking a long sip of the bubbly liquid.

            “Anything helps, Oliver.” Walter walked over and joined them. He stretched out his hand and shook Oliver’s. “I am glad to know that Miss Smoak was able to be of help. I’ve thought she was a great addition to the company since the first moment I spoke to her over the phone. I was thrilled to acquire someone of her talents for Queen Consolidated. She was not only at the top of her class but the youngest of her class to graduate.”

            That gave Oliver pause. “What do you mean?”

            “She just graduated this past spring at only nineteen. It was quite impressive.”

            “That is impressive,” Moira noted. She looked over at a group of people across the Queen’s ballroom and placed a hand on Walter’s arm. “Walter, I think that we should go talk to Malcolm Merlyn. He mentioned he had some people who were interested in investing should we actually begin to design the Applied Sciences Division.”

            “Of course. Excuse us, Oliver.”

            Oliver nodded at the two of them. His mind was more concerned over Felicity. Hell. He had invited her to the frat party he and Tommy had been invited to on Monday. It sucked having to attend the local college now instead of Yale or Harvard, but at least here Oliver had Laurel and Felicity. And Tommy on occasion when he decided to slum it from his own classes. Only now he had to rethink his invitation. How was he supposed to know Felicity was so young?

            It was a thought that haunted him throughout the weekend. He was going to bring it up to her when he saw her on Monday for their tutoring session but he received a text message that said she had to cancel due to a work issue that needed her immediate attention. Oliver had every intention on calling Mr. Andrews to find out if he had done something to prevent her from coming only to run into Thea who muttered something about their mother freaking out because the QC system was down before an important board meeting.

            Oliver assumed with all the chaos at work Felicity would skip the party altogether and that lightened his mood enough to actual enjoy the party when he and Tommy arrived. His fun was short lived however when he noticed a blonde walk in the front door. Felicity without glasses and in a dress that was way too sparkly for a party like the one they were at. The sight of her almost made him drop his beer. He had to get her out of here.

            “Who’s that?” Tommy asked from beside him. “She must be new around here.”    

            Oliver glared at his best friend who spoke with an air of interest. “That’s Felicity.”

            “Felicity Smoak? Your tutor?”

            Oliver nodded.

            “What they hell is she doing here?”         

            “I invited her.”

            Tommy smacked Oliver upside the head. “What the hell were you thinking?” His eyes narrowed on Oliver. “Were you thinking?”

            “Apparently, I wasn’t. And things were hectic so I never had a chance to tell her not to come.”

            “Well, I suggest you get over there now before there is a riot and convince her to go home. In that dress she is going to attract way more interest than I think she intended. And she doesn’t seem like the type to appreciate the interest of a bunch of frat boys.”

            “She’s not.” Oliver cursed under his breath when he saw one of the guys walk up to her. “I’ve got to get her out of here.”

            “I don’t know,” Tommy said as he studied her. “Maybe she’ll be fine.”

            Oliver noticed another one of his frat brothers was talking animatedly with Felicity. She was drawing a crowd. He felt his jaw tick. Felicity needed to leave. Now.

            On determined feet, Oliver headed her way only to have his arm pulled back. When he looked down he noticed perfectly manicured, red fingernails spread around his forearm. “Oliver, I’ve been looking for you.”

            He followed the fingers that now began to spread across his chest, up the arm to the person who held him back from his goal. Sara Lance stood there with a mischievous grin on her face. In any other situation, Oliver would have abandoned his objective and taken Sara up on her vary obvious interest. However, not only was Felicity in jeopardy, so was his academic career if something happened to her. “I can’t, Sara. Laurel’s here.”

            “Oh.” Oliver hated that he lied and caused Sara to seem saddened by his statement. “I better go before she finds me here and tells Dad.”

            Once she walked away, Oliver thought he would have been clear, however, it was Tommy who stopped him this time. “You lied to Sara? What’s going on with you?”

            “I need to find Felicity,” was all Oliver said to his friend before he stalked away. Only it was harder to find her than he thought. She wasn’t anywhere near where he had last seen her and despite her gold dress that stood out amongst this crowd, she was nowhere to be seen. After an exhaustive search, he finally found her in the kitchen surrounded by a bunch of young frat boys who were handing her Jello shots.

            “Excuse me,” Oliver ground out through his aching jaw. It was in that moment he realized he hadn’t relaxed since he spotted her. His fists were clenched down by his sides and he never wanted to hit someone more in that moment than he ever had in his life. The bout of jealousy burning deep in his belly, was most distinctly a new experience. And right now, Oliver didn’t care if he had to knock every last one of his frat brothers out, but he was getting Felicity out of there.

            “Hi, Oliver.” Felicity hiccupped and covered her red lips and laughed softly. “You look good.” Her eyes went around to everyone else in the room. “Does he always look this yummy?”

            “Damn it. Felicity, are you drunk?” Oliver could feel amusement overriding his driving anger.

            “I only had some of this yummy Jello. Did you know that people put them in cups now?”

            Oliver glared at his fellow brothers, some of who took a few steps back away from Felicity. “Is that so?”

            Slowly, the room began to empty, all except for Peter. He was a world-class jerk. Peter was known to get girls drunk so that he could get into their pants. And while Oliver was one to ignore the rumors, with Felicity he was not about to take any unnecessary risks.

            “She’s with me, Queen. Isn’t that right, baby girl?” Peter reached out and pulled Felicity close to his side.

            Felicity’s head bobbed more than nodded, indicating that she had more than only some Jello shots. “Um-hmm. He introduced me to his friends and gave me Jello. I used to think Jello was only for when you were sick but this Jello is really good. You should try some.”

            Oliver watched as Peter reached behind him for another shot glass. When he began to hand it to Felicity, Oliver jumped into action. He knocked the glass from the other man’s hand and yanked Felicity toward his body. “No. No more Jello, Felicity.”

            Her mouth formed a soft “o” that turned to a pout. “But I like Jello. It’s wiggly in my belly. Kind of like how I feel when I’m with you.”

            Oliver felt his mouth quirk upwards, but now was not the time for levity. Peter looked ready for a fight and Oliver refused to enter into one when Felicity could be the one who got hurt. He narrowed his eyes at Peter and shook his head. The guy wasn’t worth it, but that wouldn’t stop Oliver from taking him down if he had to.

            When Felicity swayed into him, Oliver was more concerned about her than whatever threat Peter posed. Wrapping his arm tight around her, Oliver whispered. “Felicity, hold onto me tight.”

            She smiled up at him, her eyes shimmering with the effects of the alcohol. “I imagined you saying that under different circumstances.”

            Oliver glanced down at her unsure of how to take her comment.

            She swallowed hard and pressed her lips together. “Very platonic circumstances.” Felicity groaned. “I don’t feel very well.”

            Oliver shook his head. Time was limited. “It’s time to leave.”

            He watched her glance around as he began to push through the crowd. “But I like it here. There’s music and dancing and Jello. Lots and lots of Jello.”

            Without a second thought about what he was doing, Oliver swept Felicity up into his arms. “No. You’ve had enough Jello and I have it on good authority it is past your bedtime.”

            “Are you going to take me to bed?” she asked in his ear. He felt her curled hair as it past his shoulder when she shook her head. “I mean to sleep. In my own bed. Alone.”

            Oliver swallowed hard at the prospect of taking Felicity to bed. To make love to her. It wasn’t a thought he let himself dwell on. He focused his eyes on the door and his goal of getting her out of there. When he finally reached the door, he let out a relieved breath. “How did you get here? Did you drive?”

            “I took a cab.”

            _Thank_ _God_ _for_ _small_ _favors_. He wouldn’t have to worry about coming back for her car. “Good. I’ll drive you home.” He shifted her in his arms as he weaved through cars. “Next time I get a great idea of inviting you somewhere, do me a favor and say no.”

            “Why? I liked it here. I didn’t go to frat parties, or really any parties, when I was at MIT. I didn’t even go to my prom. How sad is that?”

            “Probably because you were too young to be invited. To any of it.” In that moment Oliver realized how true that statement really was. She was years younger than him and she had already graduated from MIT while he couldn’t even get his shit together enough to pass a stupid English course.

            A small finger, painted in purple polish, poked him in the chest. “I could’ve if I wanted to. However, I didn’t hang out with pretty boys like you. You’re too distracting.”

            Oliver set her down next to his car and pulled out his keys. “I am?”

            “Um-hmm.”

            Tossing his keys on the seat of his convertible, Oliver turned and faced Felicity. “How am I distracting?”

            A hiccup escaped her lips and her brow furled. “I think I’m drunk. When did that happen?”

            “You are, but don’t change the subject.”

            She stared at him confused. “What subject? Were we studying?”

            Oliver shifted so he was in front of her and bracted her in with his arms. He leaned toward her and whispered, “We weren’t. But you were telling me about how distracting I am.”

            “You are,” she pointed out as though it was public knowledge, though she refused to meet his eyes. “Of course you know that. Every girl in Starling City knows that. Even the ones who haven’t met you.”

            “I’m not a girl,” he teased.

            “I’ve noticed.”

            “Felicity?”

            Her face for the first time since he had gotten close raised to his. “Hmm?”

            Oliver reached out and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m going to kiss you, but I probably shouldn’t. I’m sure if you were sober you would tell me a million different reasons as to why I shouldn’t. You’re drunk and I should be a gentleman and just drive you home but I can’t.”

            He searched Felicity’s face for some sort of resistance. If he had seen any doubt in her eyes or her posture he would have stopped in an instant. What he never expected was for her to rise up on her toes and kiss him first. Oliver felt a rush of adrenaline shoot through him. He’d never felt so energized by a kiss before. Hell, he never knew it was possible to feel that way. Oliver knew lust and passion but never an overwhelming need to possess and be possessed.

            His hands wrapped around Felicity’s waist as he pulled her closer. She tasted like sugar and vodka. Oliver’s tongue delved deep into her mouth as her arms came up to encircle his neck. He was about to pull her up and onto the edge of the car door when a horn honked nearby. It cleared his thoughts enough to make him realize what they were doing. He slowly let Felicity go.

            She blinked up at him. Her eyes were wide with confusion. “I think I need to go home.”

            “Yeah.” He took her hand and gently led her around the convertible. Oliver opened the passenger side door and made sure Felicity was securely buckled before he rounded the car again to get in himself. Before he started the car he looked over at his passenger who seemed fascinated by something down by her feet. “I’m sorry, Felicity. I shouldn’t have done that.”

            Her head turned and she gave him a small, sleepy, lop-sided smile. “I always wondered why it was called tonsil hockey.”

            He couldn’t help but laugh at her words. “You’re silly when you’re drunk. I like it.”

            Her face turned sad. “You’re right. I’m drunk and I probably won’t remember any of this.”

            Oliver felt bad. He wanted to assure her that everything was going to be fine, but he wasn’t so sure that it was. Instead, he started the car and drove carefully away from the frat house towards where Felicity lived. Not even halfway there, Felicity’s head slumped onto his shoulder. Luckily, he had already picked her up there last week so he knew the way.

            When they arrived, he hated to wake her up. She didn’t seem to have a purse and he felt horrible about searching her while she slept. Oliver decided the best course of action was to search to see if she hid a spare. As he tracked it down, he kept an eye on her in the car. He was just about to give up when he spotted it in a tube inside her fake fern. Oliver opened the door and went down to retrieve Felicity.

            She settled firmly into his shoulder as he lifted her up. She barely even seemed to notice the change. He carried her inside her apartment and turned on the lights to find out where he was going. After a couple of wrong attempts he found her bedroom. A grin split his face as he spotted the Doctor Who poster on one wall and her glasses that sat on the nightstand near her bed.

            He placed her carefully on the bed and slipped off the gold pumps she wore. Oliver wished he could make her more comfortable but that would entail waking her up. And he wouldn’t, couldn’t, dress her himself. She was an employee at his family’s company. More than that, she was the one thing that was keeping him from failing college, his family, and all the expectations that had fallen on him since his father passed away. But the main reason he couldn’t go there was because she had become his friend.

            Oliver turned to leave. He had almost closed the door when he heard his name. “Felicity?”

            “You’re still a gentleman, Oliver. I kissed you.”

            He probably would have said something back if he didn’t hear the soft snores coming from her after her words. Oliver quickly locked up her apartment and returned her key. He was proud of himself for walking away. And an early night wouldn’t kill him. His test that he had studied so hard for was the next afternoon.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “I passed.” Oliver waved a paper in front of him as he walked into Felicity’s office the next day.

            “Okay.”

            Oliver stared at the guy sitting at Felicity’s desk and then glanced around in an attempt to locate her. Felicity wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “Where’s Felicity?”

            “She called out sick. It really sucks too because the servers went back down again. She’d have already had these fixed by now.” The thin, pale looking man fiddled with some wires that were attached to a bunch of computer-looking casings. “Damn it. Of all the days for her to not come in.” The guy pressed a button on the phone on the desk. “Mr. Andrews, I need you in here now.”

            Felicity’s supervisor appeared frazzled when he entered the room. “What now?”

            “I still can’t figure out how to get these reconnected the way Felicity does when this happens.”

            “Sounds like she needs a raise,” Oliver noted with some sarcasm.

            Mr. Andrews turned on him. His eyes flashed with anger. “You get her ass in here and I’ll personally have a discussion with your mother about that very subject. Your mother and Mr. Steele have been riding my ass for hours about why this hasn’t been fixed.”

            Folding his paper, Oliver stuffed it in his back pocket and walked out. After the way he had seen Mr. Andrews treat Felicity during the time he had known her, the man deserved to deal with a problem all on his own. The only misgiving Oliver had was that it was hurting Queen Consolidated in the process.

            With that thought in mind, he pulled out his cell and dialed Felicity’s number, unsure if she’d even answer. Oliver was worried about her. She must still be feeling the effects of the alcohol from the night before. Just when he thought it would go to voicemail, she answered. “Hello?”

“Are you okay?”

            He heard her groan. “My head still hurts. What was in those things?”

            “Vodka.” She groaned again and his hand balled into a fist because he wasn’t there to comfort her in her time of pain. “I’m by your office.”

            “I called in sick.”

            “I know. Do you need me to come over there?”

            She made some sort of sound that was akin to denial. “I’m a mess.”

            Oliver laughed. “You should see it over here. Your co-worker and supervisor seem to be in over their heads without you.”

            “What happened?” Suddenly, she sounded more like the Felicity he had come to know. “Don’t tell me they messed up my system.”

            Oliver noticed the supervisor circling the main area of the IT Department as he tugged at his hair and talked on the phone. “Messed it up? I don’t think so.” Her sigh of relief was short lived as he continued. “Destroyed it? Probably.”

            “I have to get over there.”

            “No. You are going to stay home and get some rest. I’ll bring over some pretzels and make you a Bloody Mary. Best cure for a hangover ever.”

            “But the system…”

            “Will be here tomorrow. Probably.” With one last glance at the people who were struggling to do Felicity’s job, Oliver turned toward the elevators. “Maybe not.”

            “Oliver,” Felicity groaned out his name. “I need to get over there. I can’t let the QC system become compromised.”

            “Queen Consolidated is not going to die because you took the day off, Felicity. Relax. I’ll be there shortly.”

            “Oliver?”

            “Hmm?”

            “Why?”

            “Why what?” He skipped the elevator and decided to take the stairs. He didn’t want to lose her. Not while she was still willing to talk to him.

            “Never mind. Did you pass your test?”

            “Yes. That’s why I stopped by your office. I wanted to take you out to dinner to celebrate and I thought I would give you a heads up to get ready. I had booked a table at Table Salt.”

            “If you passed then why do you care about what’s wrong with me?”

            That had Oliver stopping short on the stairway. “Because you are my friend.”

            To him that answered everything. Her question. Why he left the night before after making sure she was home safe in her bed. And why he still wanted to see her.

            “While I appreciate that, I don’t think that it’s appropriate for you to come here. Not anymore. You’ve passed your test, you don’t need me anymore.”

            Oliver slammed his way out of the stairwell. People on the 5th floor all stopped and stared at him and he didn’t care. “I’m getting on an elevator, Felicity, and then I am going to come over there. I’ll see you shortly.”

            Felicity hung her head after Oliver hung up. The last thing she needed was for Oliver Queen to continue to be in her life. She’d been getting a lot of crazy ideas the last few days and they all centered on him. The craziest of those ideas she actually followed through with the night before. She kissed him.

            With a toss of her head, she threw her phone on her couch and got up. This had to stop. She didn’t mean anything to him. She was nothing more than a means to an end. And he accomplished what he had set out to do. He passed his test. There was no reason for either of them to see each other again. They were not the kind of people who hung out together. And if he wanted to celebrate that, it wasn’t because he thought any more of her than a tutor. He was just happy to be back in his mother’s good graces and to know his trust fund was no longer compromised.

            Felicity headed to the bathroom for a hot shower. She needed to clear her head. Not just to tell Oliver that it was over but so she could go and log into her laptop and see if there was any way to clear up the system remotely.

            The shower worked, but she wished it could have been longer. She was on a time clock. Oliver was bound to show up within the next fifteen minutes. Taking the extra towel with her, she used it to twist around her wet hair. Last thing she needed was for it to drip on her laptop. She wanted to at least get it turned on and booted up before she went to get dressed.

            So, when her doorbell rang, as she pressed the on switch she jumped almost losing the towel that surrounded her hair. There was no way she was going to answer the door dressed only in a towel. However, what if it was a delivery? Felicity decided to at least look through the peep hole.

            Oliver stood there his finger poised to ring the bell again. _Frack_! She really did need to get dressed and fast.

            “Felicity?” He called out when she didn’t answer. “Felicity? Are you okay in there?”

            “I’m fine,” she told him through the door.

            “Then open the door.”

            “I can’t.” Felicity looked down at the state of her undress. “Just wait there a minute. I’ll be right back.”

            She was almost to her room when the front door burst open. The towel dropped from her hair as she jumped. Felicity wrapped her arms around her to make sure that the one draped around her body wasn’t going to suffer the same fate.

            Oliver rushed over to her, his eyes searched her face. “Are you okay?”

            She felt his hands wrap around her bare arms as her face heated. “I’m fine.”

            Felicity heard him swallow hard and she met his gaze for the first time since he entered. “You’re not dressed.”

            “No. That’s why I asked you to wait.”

            His eyes fell from hers and she could almost feel them caress her skin as he took in exactly how undressed she really was. Oliver’s hands began to slide up and down her arms as he drew her closer to his body. He groaned as his head rested on top of her own. “I was worried.”

            “I told you I was fine, Oliver.”

            “I’m not.” Felicity felt the hard ridge of him press into her stomach.

            “The door is open.” Felicity’s statement seemed to jar him into action. She watched as he crossed the room and removed a key from her lock before closing her door and setting the locks.

            Felicity decided to make a break for it while Oliver was distracted. And it would have worked out well if her towel decided to cooperate with her plan. She did make it around the corner before Oliver began to laugh. 

            “I think you lost something.”

            “Leave me alone. I need to get dressed.”

            “Not for my benefit.”

            “Oliver Queen,” Felicity scolded as she leaned against her closed bedroom door. “I’m sure there are a million women in Starling City who’ve heard that line.”

            “None that mattered.”

            Felicity groaned softly. Oliver was on the other side of the thin wood.

            “Please go away. I need to get dressed. I’ll be out in a minute.”

            “Fine, but I’m not going anywhere. I can’t see you.”

            She pushed herself away from the door and ran for her closet.

            “I’m trying really hard right now, Felicity, to remember that we are friends.”

            “Friends? Since when have we been friends,” Felicity said as she pulled a shirt over her head. “Walter asked me to tutor you and I did. If I hadn’t shown up when I did, you would have never even known I existed. Doubt you would have known if I lived or died.”

            “I like you too much to even consider for a second about your demise.”

            “Demise is such a big word from a frat boy like you. You must have had a good tutor,” Felicity teased him as she searched her underwear drawer for just the right pair. Then got frustrated with herself because why did it matter.

            “What can I say? My girlfriend is studying to be a lawyer.” The second the words came out of Oliver’s mouth he froze. If there was any way he could steal them back he would have. His head fell gently onto Felicity’s door as he heard a drawer slam shut. Damn it. He really did need to learn when to shut up. Maybe Felicity should have tutored him in that. “I’m sorry, Felicity.”

            The door jerked open and Felicity stood there in a soft t-shirt and jean shorts. He had never seen her so casually dressed. “Why? Of course you have a girlfriend. Laurel, right? And, hey, we’re just friends. Maybe. Who’s really to say what we are.”

            “Friends with benefits?” Oliver pulled out his test and handed it to her.

            She glared at him but accepted the test. “Really? That’s what you are going with?”

            “I had the benefit of my friend being the best Shakespeare tutor I could have ever met.” He watched her blush and walk around him. Her eyes trained on the paper in front of her.

            Damn it. It wasn’t fair. Just that morning Laurel had begun to hint once more about committed relationships and here he was lusting after Felicity. No, lust wasn’t the right word. Just being around her made him happy. And he honestly couldn’t remember a time when that had happened before. That someone just being there made him happy.

            That thought sobered him up quickly. “I should go.”

            Felicity nodded and handed him back the paper. He stood there unsure of what to do. He wanted to kiss her. To see if the night before had been some kind of fluke. And Oliver knew he should leave. The two sides of his brain warring with one another for dominance.

            Felicity seemed to make the decision for him. She walked over to her front door and held it open. “Thank you for checking on me. I appreciate it. And congratulations.”

            “Thank you.” He walked toward the open door and stopped in front of her. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and placed his lips on her forehead. “I appreciate the fact that you helped me.”

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Weeks later, Oliver still hadn’t heard from Felicity and he hadn’t reached out to her either, despite the massive amount of drafts that sat in his email. The only email that he had actually sent to her was to remind her to change where she kept her spare key.

            “Hi, Oliver.” Laurel slid into the booth next to him at the Thai place they had decided to go for lunch. She ran her hand over his hair and pulled him close for a kiss. He responded as he normally did but his mind conjured up a blonde, something Laurel was not.

            Laurel pulled back and searched his face. “You seem distracted. Are classes okay? I know finals are coming up in two weeks. Worried?”

            “No. Everything’s fine.” Oliver could tell that Laurel wanted to question him further, but the waitress showed up to take their order. After that Laurel seemed to change her mind about the inquisition. Instead she regaled him with details of the exams she had coming up. He tried to politely listen but he was distracted the second Felicity entered the restaurant.

            She was dressed in her usual type of business attire. This one a light blue dress shirt tucked into a black pinstripe pencil skirt. Somehow seeing her in that shirt reminded him one of his own. And that had him picturing her in his own shirt and nothing else.

            “Oliver? Are you okay?” Laurel touched his hand in concern. “You groaned like you were in pain.”

            His eyes shot over to his girlfriend. He closed his eyes for a brief moment to gain composure and cleared his throat. “I’m fine. I remembered something.” He bumped her hip with his own indicating he needed out of the booth. “Do you mind if I go talk to someone for a moment? I’ll be right back.”

            Oliver pretended to patiently wait as Laurel exited the booth. He really wanted to vault over the table and make sure he reached Felicity before she had a chance to escape. As it was he barely made it to her side in time. She had just accepted a paper bag containing what he suspected was her own lunch. “Felicity.”

            Oliver’s hands fisted at his side when she turned, ignoring him. “Fel-lic-ity,” he growled.

            Her eyes caught his. “What?”

            “I know you heard me the first time. Was it so hard to answer then?”

            She shrugged and eyed him innocently from behind her glasses. “There could have been another Felicity.”

            “I was standing right next to you.” He grabbed her arm, despite her protests, and steered her to a quiet corner. “Don’t ignore me. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

            Her lips pinched into a disapproving line and her eyes flickered over to where he had been sitting. “How’s Laurel?”

            “She’s fine. I can introduce you.”

            The laugh that came from Felicity’s mouth was more sarcastic than mirthful. It was something so unlike Felicity that Oliver took a step back. “No, thanks. I have to get back to work or Mr. Andrews will fire me for being late.”

            “Then I’ll have him fired for insubordination and hire you back.” Oliver side stepped so that Felicity couldn’t walk around him which seemed to be her intention. “I need you to talk to me.”

            “Why?”

            “Why?” Oliver was confused. Why would she think that he wouldn’t want to talk to her? Why couldn’t they still be friends? But he knew the answers. She thought he was too concerned with his own self to care. And they couldn’t be friends because he had dreamt about her last night. And it was so far beyond a friendly type dream. Not when he had a hard on and couldn’t get rid of it until he had a long, cold shower.

            “You passed your test. I was paid to be your tutor. You and I have nothing in common. So, yes, why would you want to talk to me, let alone become friends?”

            “Because I like and respect you. And I would like us to become friends if we aren’t already.”

            “Fine.”

            Oliver’s face split into a grin. “Great. Have lunch with me.”

            “You’re having lunch with Laurel,” Felicity reminded him flatly.

            “Right.” For a moment he had forgotten Laurel was even there. However, he couldn’t let this opportunity go. “Have dinner with me.”

            She shook her head. “Dinner dives into date-like territory. I don’t think so.”

            “We had dinner every night you were tutoring me.”

            Felicity placed her empty hand on her hip and glared at him. “I was tutoring you. It was a business dinner.”

            “Please?” He tried for his most charming smile.

            “No.” She shook her head again. “I agreed to be friends and friends don’t do dinner alone.”

            “I eat dinner with Tommy all the time. It doesn’t mean I’m dating him or trying to get into his pants.”

            “You know what I mean, Oliver. If we run into each other, I’ll say hi. And if we get a chance, maybe we will have lunch.” Felicity shouldered past him. “Right now though, let’s leave it to that.”

            Oliver was about to argue further when he noticed Felicity had stopped short.

            “Oliver? Everything okay?”

            Laurel stood there, her eyes shooting between the two of them. He took a step forward and stood next to Felicity. “Everything’s fine. Laurel, I’d like you to meet my friend, Felicity Smoak. She was the one who helped me study for the English exam. Felicity, this is Laurel Lance.”

            Oliver watched as the two women sized each other up and he was surprised to see it was Felicity who extended her hand first with the proverbial olive branch of a handshake. “Nice to meet you, Laurel. I heard a lot about you.”

            “I wish I could say the same,” Laurel told her. “But it is nice to meet you.” She turned to Oliver. “Our food is ready. We should eat. I have to meet with my study group in an hour.”

            “And I need to get back to QC before I’m fired,” Felicity announced.

            Oliver watched Felicity walk out of the restaurant. The urge to chase after her was strong but he had no idea what to do if he did. He had already burned a lot of bridges with Laurel and if he took off after Felicity he would firmly cement the destruction of whatever relationship they had left. So, Oliver placed a hand on Laurel’s back and they went over to have lunch.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Felicity hated to admit it but she missed spending time with Oliver. He texted her at least once a day since she met him and Laurel at the Thai restaurant. Most times it was just to say good morning. Other times he asked if she was having a good day at work. And others were to tell her how his classes were going. All of them platonic and friend-like.

            She knew from the messages one thing. At least she had done him some good academically. He seemed to now go to class and it appeared he was on track to passing the semester.

            A knock sounded on her office door, and she bid whoever it was to enter. Felicity was disappointed when it wasn’t Oliver, but then it wasn’t like it would be. Probably just her hope since she thought of him. But never in her wildest dreams did she picture it would be Laurel Lance who walked through the door. “Miss Lance?’

            “Miss Smoak.” Laurel’s heels clacked on the tile floor as she approached Felicity’s desk. “Can I speak candidly with you?”

            “Of course.” Felicity waved Laurel to take a seat across from her.

            “What are you to Oliver?” Laurel asked as she perched on the edge of the chair.

            Felicity shrugged. It was all she could do. She wasn’t even sure herself. “Friends? I’m really not sure. I tutored him for a short time, as you know, but I haven’t seen him since the day I met you.”

            Laurel seemed to contemplate this which left Felicity time to wonder why the woman was even in her office to begin with. It also allowed Felicity to study the woman Oliver was in love with. Her long, wavy, brunette locks cascaded down past her shoulders. And the slightly older woman was dressed fashionably in a pair of tight name brand jeans and a red silk blouse. Not bad for a law student with parents who were only a professor and a local cop. Felicity hated to admit, even to herself, that she had done some digging the woman after they met. And, Felicity came out of it a little jealous.

            “Then why did he break up with me? I know it wasn’t Sara. That ended months ago.” Laurel laughed. “I don’t know why I felt the need to lie to you. It actually ended about the time he met you.” She fiddled with her purse. “Did you hear him talk about someone? I haven’t heard about anyone else. Hell, he hasn’t even been partying with Tommy as much lately. And trust me, I confronted Tommy already about this.”

            Felicity noticed the tears shimmering in Laurel’s eyes and she felt bad for her. “I’m sorry. Oliver only talked about you. I don’t know why he broke up with you.” Felicity reached into a drawer and pulled out a box of tissues, handing them over to Laurel. “Here.”

            “Thanks.” Laurel pulled one out and sniffled daintily into it.

            Okay, that was literally another reason to hate this woman. Even her crying was pretty. Felicity would have looked like a drowned cat and sounded worse.

            “I never pictured Oliver breaking up with me. I thought for sure we’d get married. We have even looked for apartments together.”

            Felicity studied the woman. “Even when you knew he cheated on you? With your own sister?”

            Laurel let out a wet laugh. “He’s not a bad guy, just a little wild. He and Tommy have had to deal with a lot of responsibility and commitment with the passing of one of their parents and that is just their way of letting off some steam.” Another sniffle followed a half laugh. “It’s actually one of their least attractive traits. And trust me we have been friends forever, I know them all.”

            “You’ve been friends with the two of them a long time?”

            “Years. Seems like forever sometimes. And commitment is hardly in their vocabulary.”

            Felicity fiddled with the pen in front of her. “Oliver seems committed to his schoolwork lately. Maybe it isn’t that far out of it.”

            “Thanks to you, apparently.” Laurel patted her eyes dry and studied Felicity. “What makes you so different? I’ve told him for years he need to change his thinking when it came to school. I even tried to help and tutor him myself when he needed it. It never worked. But you. You worked with him for a week. A single week and he listened.”

            Felicity shrugged. “I think his mom’s threat worked more on that then I did. But the one thing I didn’t do was try to change him. I only tried to help when he asked for it. It seems like that was what he needed the most.”

            Laurel rose. “Maybe that was exactly what he needed.” She turned to leave but before she did she looked back at Felicity. “I hate to admit this, but you might be the best thing that ever happened to Oliver Queen. And God help him, I think you might actually be someone who’d stand up to him and his hard-headed ways.”

            Felicity watched Laurel leave, shocked by the woman’s parting words. Her and Oliver Queen? It was inconceivable. Okay, so it was a secret fantasy of hers, but it would never work out in real life. Turning in her chair, Felicity faced her computer lost in thought. The numbers of the code she was supposed to be working on a huge blur.

            So, when someone knocked on her door, she jumped. A cleared throat made her turn to find who stood in her doorway.

            “Felicity?”

            “Don’t you knock?” she accused as she faced Oliver.

            “This is the IT Department, not the ladies room.”

            “Right. What do you need?” Felicity hated that she sounded so sharp but after her discussion with Laurel she didn’t know how to approach Oliver.

            “I was wondering if you’d like to go to dinner with me tonight.”

            He seemed nervous despite his charming exterior, but Felicity had to be sure of his intentions. “How’s Laurel?”

            “She’s fine. I actually just ran into her on the way in here.” He looked as though he contemplated that thought for a moment. “Which now that I think of it is kind of weird, but we broke up so it didn’t feel right to question her reasons.”

            Okay, so he admitted to breaking up with Laurel. Which left them where? And it definitely didn’t explain why he was here now. “School okay?”

            “Great. Though I wouldn’t say no if you offered to help me study for my last final on Friday.”

            _Oh_! So, he was here to ask her out so she could tutor him again. She hated to admit she was a little bit disappointed.

            “But you don’t have to,” he quickly added when she hadn’t said anything. “My professor told me he’d mark my test on a curve considering the vast improvement he’s seen in my work since you helped.”

            “Well, that’s good at least. I wish the rest of us were so lucky when it came to our college exams. But then why would you ask me to dinner?”

            Oliver walked around her desk and used the handle of her chair to turn her around so she faced him in his new position. She had to lean her head back to look up at him. “Because I’ve missed you. More than I ever remember missing anyone.” His face let her know he was serious, but it was his soul-searching eyes the convinced her of the truth of his words. “Because you make me smile when I don’t think I can. Because I want to see if somehow the way I feel means that I can’t ever be friends with you. Felicity, you’ve wormed your way into my life and I’m afraid that I’m an all or nothing kind of person.”

            Felicity was at a loss. The only thing she could do was stare at him. He pulled her out of her trance when he tugged her upwards. “Please go out with me, Felicity.”

            “Yes.” She nodded.

            A grin split his face and his adorable dimple revealed itself. “You won’t regret it. Ever.” He leaned around her and grabbed a piece of paper and her ever present red pen. She watched Oliver write down an address and he tapped it when he was finished. “Meet me there at seven.”

            Felicity nodded and watched as Oliver left. Never in her life had she expected that she would have a date with Oliver Queen.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            “So, what happened after that date?” Felicity inquired after Oliver finished his tale.

            “You fell in love with me and never let me out of your sight again,” Oliver teased as he pulled her tight to his side.

            Felicity slapped at his arm. “I half believe that, Oliver Queen.”

            “Actually, I think it was me who never left your side. I wouldn’t have believed my good luck at snagging someone as great as you.” Oliver looked deeply into her eyes. “I won’t hold anything back from you again, Felicity. I promise there won’t be a day that you will have to question how I feel about you.”

            “You promise?”

            He nodded as his lips touched hers. After Nanda Parbat, every moment with Felicity was tattooed on his brain. All of it. Every second he spent with her gave him hope that he had a future. A future he thought should have been denied to him after all that he had done. It wasn’t something he deserved. There had been so much darkness and there still was. Yet, Felicity’s light kept him away from all that. Her happiness. Her hope. And most importantly, her love. A love that he had almost lost by not allowing her in. By not telling her all of his secrets.          He was still trying his best to win back her trust and he had no doubt they still had a long road in front of them before he fully achieved it.

            Deathstroke had made Oliver realize he loved Felicity, even though he had been battling feelings for her before that, maybe from the beginning if he was ever that honest with himself. And his lies and omissions about his son had almost destroyed it all. Then with Darkh, the nail was almost in the coffin of their relationship, wedging them further apart then he ever dreamed. Because that was when he thought he lost her to death. And then he did lose her. All of her. Her trust, her love and their partnership. But, he couldn’t let himself think about that. They had to move forward.

            Oliver knew he’d see to it that there was no more wedges. No more secrets. No more lies. He would rather die than have Felicity ever look at him as she had when she walked out of their lair; the day she handed back his mother’s ring. He needed her in his life more than he needed to breathe. “I love you.”

            When she was about to respond in kind, he covered her lips with his hand and shook his head. “I already know. I don’t need to hear it. Not until the day that you completely trust me again.”

            She smiled up at him before she pushed him over and straddled his hips. “Then I guess for now, you’ll have to settle for this.”

            Felicity leaned down and kissed him. Oliver brushed back her hair and smiled. “I’ll take whatever I can get.”

 

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to look for installment number 2 coming soon. Hint: In the next one Diggle gets to tell the story.


End file.
